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Imaginal Trackers Program
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Imaginal Trackers logo Imaginal Trackerstm is an arts-based ecological and spiritual program of study and training for personal healing and/or professional development. Imaginal Tracking refers to the skills required to follow the track of our inner nature as reflected in outer nature. Skills such as expanded methods of paying attention and deep discernment are used to stalk beauty through the sacred dimensions of the imagination and the universal language of the arts. Imaginal Tracking is for any persons or organizations seeking to restore their sense of connection to their inner wisdom, their animal wisdom and the experiences of deep belonging. Please join us for transformational learning and the restoration of wonder through art, nature and spirituality. No art experience required. These workshop intensives will each qualify for 30 continuing education credits.
Facilitators: Straja Linder King, Madeline Rugh

All class sizes are limited so please register early

Imaginal Trackers Courses
(5 day Intensives)

Intensives being offered September through December, 2010

Studio Sequence 1 - October 18 to 22


Studio Sequence 1: Art Fundamentals (Introductory Course)
Enjoy a hands-on introduction to a wide variety of art materials and expressive possibilities. Enhance your skills in the arts within a joyful non-judgmental atmosphere. Learn about your own “art history”, discover your unique visual language and delve into the ancient knowledge and spiritual wisdom of the arts through the ages and across cultures.

Tracking skills include:
  • Sacred listening
  • Non-verbal tool development
  • Sacred dimensions of creative play

Academic objectives include:

  • Working knowledge of basic art materials and processes
  • Understanding the influence of art history (personal and cultural) on art as therapy
  • Discovering your unique visual language
October 18 to 22, 9 am to 5 pm daily
30 Continuing Education credits
Cost: $595 includes all materials
Imagery In Health and Healing: Where Neuroscience Meets the Humanities/Arts
This intensive provides an introduction to integrative health using the arts in therapy. It begins with the ancient and multi-cultural role of ritual, mythology and shamanic thought. From this historical foundation we move into present day psychological theories and practices with special attention given to spiritual and ecological perspectives. Hands-on work in art media will be used consistently throughout the course to deepen our understanding of the various perspectives presented.

Tracking skills include:
  • Sacred forms of attention
  • Conceptual shape-shifting
  • Beauty perception
Academic objectives include:
  • A basic understanding of the history, theories and approaches to the arts in therapy
  • Learning about the underlying structures that influence the communicative and healing capacity of the arts
  • Understanding the ways in which other cultures utilize the arts in health
Watch for newe dates, 9 am to 5 pm daily
30 Continuing Education credits
Cost: TBA includes all materials

Studio Sequence II
This program covers the nature and psychological structure of visual media, image, sound, movement and ritual. It also addresses methods of engagement and forms of deep listening to the messages and meanings of imagery. This is the only advanced course and requires that 4 other courses be taken first. It includes group process and ethical practices as well as advanced use and understanding of art materials. (It may be taken by health care professionals such as psychologists, social workers, nurses, pastoral counsellors, etc. without having prior ITI courses.)
Watch for new dates, 9 am to 5 pm daily
30 Continuing Education credits
Cost: TBA includes all materials

Art Therapy and Bereavement
There are four rivers to the experience and expression of grief-- physical, mental, social and spiritual. This course guides the participant down each of these tributaries through the therapeutic application of the arts, metaphoric language, and theories of death and dying. We will also address those losses that are devalued such as the death of an animal companion.

Tracking skills include:
  • Deeper communication with the natural world
  • Cultivating our poetic and metaphoric language Body
Academic objectives include:
  • Developing an arts-based language of grief that assists the bereaved in a gentle, non-judgmental manner
  • Becoming familiar with the elements of bereavement and loss
  • Recognizing the healing role that nature plays in addressing grief and loss
Watch for new dates, 9 am to 5 pm daily
30 Continuing Education credits
Cost: TBA includes all materials
World Soul 5 Day Retreat: Art, Nature and Wonder
World Soul art and healing retreat, is an opportunity for creative immersion to enlarge your personal conception of soul. World Soul, or Anima Mundi, includes indigenous, Celtic and medieval mysticism. Through the arts and deep engagement with the natural world we experience deeper meanings related to identity and consciousness. We learn from animals and nature as guides. This retreat will be highly experiential. All teachings of World Soul and deep ecology will be followed by explorations in a variety of art media including collage, clay, paint and writing. Additionally, all experiences will be grounded in nature. No art experience is necessary. Please wear casual comfortable clothing.

This Retreat is for:
  • Care workers in helping professionals
  • Teachers, Clergy, Social Workers, Psychologists and Counsellors
  • Students, Artists
  • Outdoor pursuit workers
  • Those seeking spiritual renewal and healing through nature, ecology and the arts.
What You Will Learn:
 This course is devoted to enhancing and healing our relationship with the natural world through art making from an ecological and spiritual perspective.

You will:
  • Find pathways to authentic connections with outer nature and inner nature
  • Discover and delight in the healing attributes of accessing your unique visual language, inherent creativity
TBA, Sunday, 5 to 9 pm; Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
Facilitator: Straja Linder King
Location: River Rock Studio (www.riverrockstudio.com) near the Ghost River and adjacent to 80 acres of Stoney First Nations Wilderness, a world away from the frenetic pace of the city. The Studio boasts ample workspace with a 2 story high wall of north facing windows. Participants may also hike, bird watch, fish or just relax and reflect in the peaceful and contemplative surroundings.
Cost: $1295 for shared accomodation or $1395 for private room includes non-refundable deposit of $300
Fees includes all materials, and unlimited studio time.
Early bird rate before June 15: $1165 for shared accomodation and $1255 for private room includes non-refundable deposit of $300.
Full payment must be in by July 1. No refunds will be given for cancellations made after July 15.
Note: Meals and snacks will be provided and prepared co-operatively by the retreat participants)<
Animal Assisted Healing and the Expressive Arts as Therapy
An original and unique program of study and training that combines the wisdom and compassion of animals (equine and canine) with the expressive arts, for health and wellness. Learning takes place in the company of Tumbra, an international Shiloh Shepherd, and numerous horses from the Eagle Feather Riding Ranch.


Tracking skills include:

  • Understanding the non-verbal language of animals
  • Aligning with the wisdom of the body
  • Art as a form of communion

Academic objectives include:

  • Methods for integrating animals with expressive arts
  • Understanding the dynamics of animals in relationship to therapy
  • Understanding animal behavior and sacred significance across cultures
TBA, 9 am to 5 pm daily
30 Continuing Education credits
Click here to see tributes to Tangus
Click here for more information on animal assisted therapy
Cost: $595 includes all materials
Art, Aging and Spirituality
The experience of aging is an act of imagination. How have you been imagining growing old? Our images form a blueprint that our bodies naturally follow. In our culture aging has been imagined in a very narrow and devalued way. This course will provide participants with an opportunity to explore through the arts, in a playful and profound way, their inner images and ideas of aging. It will include rich, real life examples and detailed guidance on the healing role of the arts. Participants will recognize and reshape old age blueprints, and expand their collective vision of growing old through the wisdom of nature, the beauty of art and the many spiritual traditions of the world.
TBA, Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm daily,
30 Continuing Education credits
Cost: TBA includes all materials
Soul Bridges: An Introduction to the Arts and Spirituality
Discover, renew and celebrate the depths of your being called “soul” through the forgotten language of art, symbol and ritual. Using a variety of art forms and materials, participants will examine issues surrounding the meaning and experience of soul. Today, the capacity for the arts to heal and guide at a deep spiritual level have been minimized and made peripheral. In this program of study, creativity is considered a core attribute of our spiritual identity, with the imagination being our greatest gift.

Tracking skills include:
  • Discovering the landscapes of your inner world
  • Dimensions and domains of beauty
  • Perceptions of the imaginal realms
Academic objectives include:
  • Cultivating a deeper understanding of the role of the arts in spiritual development and expression
  • Thoughtfully examining ideas and feelings surrounding personal, religious and cultural notions of "soul"
  • Discovering and developing your own visual language and symbol system
Watch for new dates, 9 am to 5 pm daily
30 Continuing Education credits
Cost: TBA includes all materials

Group and Community Dynamics
This course provides individuals with the knowledge required to respectfully bring the tools of the Imaginal Tracking experience to their community, organization, work place or group. This program draws from a synthesis of indigenous wisdom, psychological theory on group dynamics and corporate innovations in team building and creative leadership. It is specifically focused on group process in relationship to creative work.
Tracking skills include:
  • Beauty tracking
  • Patterns of attention and intention
  • The power and process of the circle
Academic objectives include:
  • Understanding the dynamics of group interaction and phases
  • Clear comprehension of the ethical issues involved in offering expressive arts as a vehicle of group comunication, healing, learning and creating. Awareness of numerous models of facilitation and leadership with special emphasis on the circle or "way of council"
Watch for new dates, 9 am to 5 pm daily,
30 Continuing Education credits
For more information on Imaginal Trackers programs please visit www.imaginaltrackers.com
Cost: TBA includes all materials
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1407 - 10 Street S. W. Calgary, Alberta T2R 1E7, Phone: 403-210-2802,
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Spiritual Directions operates under the auspices of the Community Opportunity Foundation of Alberta
July 20, 2010 5:48:02 PM